16 Ways to Say I Love You: Ayumi and Conan
by IHKF
Summary: I just had to do this since there's a Mitsuhiko and Ai one, a Kazuha and Heiji, and a Ran and Shinichi, this couple deserves it too! Chapter 16: You've always turned away from me...Why?
1. Blunt and Direct

**Love 1: Blunt and Direct**

"I love you."

"What?"

"I love you."

"You're...you're joking." A sly smile, a twinkle in their eye, and a delicate face.

"Sence...sence when?"

"Sence the 7th grade."

"You've loved me? All these years and you never said a word?" A laugh.

"Well, it's a pretty hard thing to admit to yourself."

A few steps closer, a few more steps. His warm hands gripped her arms and slowly moved them up to her face. "I love you...I love you so much, Ayumi."


	2. Sweet and Warm

**Love 2: Sweet and Warm**

Ayumi Yoshida and Conan Edogawa sat by the warm fireplace, enjoying the heat radiating from the invention. Snow flew at the doors and windows, blurring the glass and wood. Ai and Mitsuhiko laid asleep together in a recliner, her head resting on his shoulder and his head resting on her head. Genta was slumped on the loveseat, snorring without making a sound. "Conan-kun."

"Hmm?"

"I'm still cold. Can we put more fire in?" He nodded. "Yeah, I felt it too." He reached over a picked up a medium-sized piece of wood, throwing it in. He narrowed his eyes. It still wasn't warm enough. He put more in.

Still not warm enough...

A little more flew in.

Not enough...

He sighed and sat back on the floor in front of the fireplace, his blue blanket covering his lap as he held hot coco in his hands. Ayumi shivered a little, hiding it so Conan wouldn't see. Looking over at her, he smiled and set his mug down, reaching an arm over to the trembling girl who was covered in a pink blanket. A small gasp came from her lips as he rested her head onto his chest, her hand slighty to the side of her head. She noticed a sudden warmth and began to grip onto his shirt, brawling her hand into a fist.

"Warm enough?"

She nodded, a yawn escaping from her lips. "My love has always kept me warm." A blush crossed his cheeks as she fell asleep on his chest. Looking down at her, he smiled. Conan leaned down and kissed his friend's head. "Mine has, too."


	3. Hot and Toasty

**Love 3: Hot and Toasty**

Ayumi squealed uncomfortably as Conan's body shifted in front of her. "Hello! CAn anybody hear us! Hey! We need help!" He was banging on the door to the storage closet with one fist while the other was trying to force a distance between himself and Ayumi, who was blushing like mad and holding her breath, trying to take up less room. He grimaced when there was no answer and stopped his banging, leaning back against his side of the little closet. "I'm so sorry!" Ayumi shot, keeping focus on the ground. He groaned at her obvious-to-goodness crush and mumbled. "It's no problem. We're just stuck in here for a while."

Ayumi sighed at his tone and shifted her own tiny frame. There bodies were so close together. All she could think about was wrapping her arms around his neck and-

_AW, CURSE YOU HOROMONES!_

Biting her lip, she tried to back up against the shelf she already was pushed far back into. Conan stared down at her, annoyance written all over his face. "C-Conan-kun..."

"What?"

"Can I...kiss you?"

"WHAT?"

"Please, Conan! Just one kiss! Then if you don't like it I'll stop bothering you with the crush I'm pretty sure you already know I have!" He groaned and made a face. _Which shall it be? Kiss Ayumi-chan and she will stop her clingy crushing on you or reject her and have her still follow you around? _He sighed in irritation. The choice was obvious.

"Alright, fine." A large smile came to Ayumi as he said this. "Thank you, Conan-kun."

Closing her eyes, she leaned in, attempting to close whatever space was between them. Well, if there was any space left! He closed his own eyes and waited for her lips to meet his. "I love you." She whispered, completly detroying their distance. He gasped and nearly pulled back, only to remember he couldn't. A blush came over his face as she deepened the kiss, giving only a quarter of her passion. He knew it was wrong and he had Ran to return to but...

...Ayumi was such a good kisser!

He closed his eyes and gripped her shoulders, giving her a forceful kiss back. She was pushed back against her shelf, hands gripping his shirt. Conan began to run his arms down along her arms and shoulders, occasionaly rubbing her cheek gently with his thumb. "Ayumi," He muttered when their kiss ended for one second. He instantly went back to kissing her, as she never got a chance to open her eyes. It was her turn to gasp as he bit her lower lip a little, asking for entry. Her heart beat faster and she wrapped her arms around his neck and obliged to his request. He let go of her arms when she did this and ran them down her curves, coming to her waste and wrapping his arms around it. HE pulled away for a few seconds, looking at her eyes before kissing her lips several times gently. "Conan-kun. You make my heart beat so fast without any effort at all. How?"

His answer was a nuzzle to her neck. She moaned a little and blushed a deep shade of red. He returned to her face and started to caress it softly, giving her tender kisses. He smiled when he felt her cheeks flush. Breathing heavily, she pulled away. "How?"

Instead of answering that question, he finished his sentence he had started earlier. "I love you."


	4. Jealousy and That's It

**Love 4: Jealousy and That's It**

"Oh my." Ayumi blushed as the teenage player of the school kissed her hand swiftly, bowing to her. "Wh-why so formal?" She asked, blushing at the gentle gesture. A smiled. "Well, it's not everyday you get to meet a pretty woman." Her blush only grew darker. Mitsuhiko slyly stepped in front of Ai and Conan scoffed, Genta was simply glaring at the boy. "May I ask for your name, my beautiful?" Growling, Conan stepped in between them, grabbing her rist. "No you may not." Ayumi was oblivious as to what was going on. "Come on."

Conan started to drag her away from the rest of the group, heading towards the school. "C-Conan-kun!" She murmered, embaressed. He stopped in his tracks. "Oh, and by the way." He turned towards the womanizer. "She's beautiful, not pretty." Withthat, he dragged her off.

"C-Conan! What was that for?" She blushed, the mere thought of her crush being jealous making her weak. He smirked. "You're taken.

"By who?"

"By me."

"What? Why?"

"I love you."


	5. Cute and Cuddly

**Love 5: Cute and Cuddly**

Ayumi Edogawa turned on her side to look at her husband who laid beside her. Smiling, she grabbed some of his covers and pulled them further over his body. Then she frowned. Conan had never said the words 'I love you' as long as they had known eachother. She had said it multiple times before, only to have him ignore her or change the subject. Not even when they were forced into marriage did he say he loved her. In his wedding vowes, he promised he would never leave...

...for Ran-neechan's sake.

She bit her lip as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. No, she was a woman now. She would not cry. Slipping out of bed, she slumped her way to kitchen for a glass of water.

Chugging the liquid down, she placed the cup in the sink. Sighing, she walked towards the window and played with a strand of her messy hair. He never told her she was beautiful, and he never said he cared. He never held her romantically, and never so much as stared. Her anniversy gift from him was not very much thought into. And he never faced her with his big blue eyes like he used to. She forced herself to smile a little bit. All of that rhymed. After all, she was a rather talented author of romance novels. She grimaced crossly. Romance...something she was never really expirienced in, even after being married for three long years. Conan had stayed as he promised Ran-neechan he would. She never really understood why he said that. That's when it hit her.

Kogoro was having so much trouble getting cases and their money was flying down the drain. The same problem came to her parents. Therefor, Conan probably decided to take a hit for the group at the age of sixteen and propose a fixed marriage. Ran had probably denied him, saying that the money wasn't that bad. But he had probably kept coming after her and telling her that it was best if he did, Ran eventually giving in. So he married her for the sake of his true love...

A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared out the closed window, the darkness being forced backwards by few city lights outside. She shook her head back and forth and looked down at the windowsill she was leaning on. "He'll never love me."

"Who won't? Don't tell me you're having an affair already. It's only been three years." The voice was humerous and joking, much to Ayumi's disliking. He always joked around with her yet he was so seriouse and calm and happy around Ran. "No. I'm not having an affair." She replied without much haste. Noticing the crumble in her voice, Conan stopped joking around. "Ayumi, is something wrong? Why are you out of bed?" She only shook her head.

"Conan, I'm filing for a divorce."

"WHAT?"

She smiled a little. "Face it. You don't love me. You only married me because Ran-neechan was in a tight position and the money we would make would help her out. Well it's been three years and they're far better off. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Ayumi choked back a sob and continued to stare at the floor.

Silence...

That was all she heard.

Plain, awful, silence.

He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't trying to stop her. He wasn't trying to explain to her as to why they should remain together. Then he finally said something.

"If that's what you want."

A sword went straight through Ayumi's heart as his words hit her ears. He wanted a divorce now, if that was the case. He wanted her to leave, and he never wanted to have a relationship with her again! Stepping away from the window, she swiftly wiped a few tears away from her eyes. "Then I'm going to go and stay with my parents for a little while." And he didn't try to stop her as she retreated to their bedroom to pack.

The drawers opened and she grabbed all of her shirts, forcing them into the big suitcase on the bed. After this, the only time she would see him is in court. Tears spilled from her gentle blue eyes onto the black leather clothing transporter, threatening to ruin it. She stopped for a few seconds, staring helplessy down at her package of unmentionables and mentionables.

Drops of aqua one-by-one fell as she stood there, breathing heavily. Conan silently walked into the room, stepping towards her without a word. A calm and soft expression clouded his face when he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her back. "This isn't what you want, is it?" He mumbled.

She gripped his arms with her hands. "No. I don't want to leave but you don't...you don't do and say certain things that a wife needs to hear. Conan we've never kissed besides the wedding! You've never held my hand or pecked my cheek. you've never told me you needed me. You've never even hugged me before."

"Well this is hugging for a couple, isn't it?" He answered, starting to sway the two of the from side-to-side a little. She refused to answer. "I need to finish packing."

Ayumi forced her way out of his arms and went to grab a photo off the desk. "What are you doing?"

"Packing our wedding picture."

"Why?"

"When will _you _need it?"

She stood there, staring at the picture as her husband walked over to her. "I've always needed it." He breathed onto her neck. "Since when?" She yelped, suprised by his actions. He grabbed her waist again and whispered into her ear. "Everytime I couldn't solve a case, I looked at that picture and I figured it out." A blush crossed her cheeks. "Then I'll photocopy it and send one back to you. How's that?" Conan sighed. Even since middle school, Ayumi was always one to stand her ground. "Not good enough."

"Well then what will be?"

"How about we just share this picture?"

"You mean send it back to eachother? Conan, the picture will be ruined!"

"No, that's not what I meant." He slyly turned her around to face him. Her cheeks were red, her hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot. Tear streaks were covering her face. To put it simply, she looked beautiful. "Why don't you just stay here?" He whispered, pulling her closer. Ayumi was shocked at his romantic acts, pulling away a little. "Because we're getting a divorce."

"We don't have to."

His wife scoffed at him and glared. "Yes we do!"

"Why?"

"Because we're not working out!" Salty drops of water filled her eyes again. "This relationship is completly one-sided, Conan! We can't do this! When I imagined us married when I was younger, I imagined you would hold me in your arms every night and tell me how much you loved me! I imagined you'd kiss my head when I was crying and tell me everything was going to be alright! I imagined we'd have slept together at least ONCE and have at LEAST one child! I imagined, I imagined, I imagined! BUT I ONLY IMAGINED!" She cried.

"I thought you would've said I love you now at LEAST once! You've never said that, though. You never did!" He only stared down at her and shook his head, pulling her to his chest. "No it's not one-sided. Not in the least." Ayumi started crying into his shirt as he spoke. "Ayumi, the first year of this mariage was truly a struggle for me. I didn't have any feelings for you at all. Last year it became a crush, I felt so jumpy when you were near me, and I know that you love me." He smiled and kissed her head, the first kiss since 'you may kiss your bride!'

"And I love you, too."


	6. Betrayal and Apology

**Love 6: Betrayal and Apology**

"Ayumi..." Haibara stood there, staring at her best friend. A look of terror had perched itself upon the brunette's gentle features, her blue eyes watering. Conan Edogawa stood next to her, a blush covering his cheeks. Genta and Mitsuhiko were on either side of Ayumi. Genta wore an expression that said 'what the heck is going on here' while Mitsuhiko held a hurt and defenceless look. Ayumi swung her head back and forth before turning on her heel and running off. Ai held her hand out as if reaching for her, but couldn't. This was it. Her best friend had seen her kiss the love of her life. Sure, Conan started it, but she kissed back full force. "Haibara-san..." Mitsuhiko spoke timidly, as if speaking to a frightened young child. "You..." It was then that he swung his head towards Conan, pure anger gripping his features. "MITSUHIKO!" Ai screeched.

Conan was being held off the floor by the scientist boy, who had a strong grip on his collar. The detective gasped. Who knew Mitsuhiko could be this strong? "HOW DARE YOU! YOU NOT ONLY KISS THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS BUT YOU HURT BOTH ME AND AYUMI-CHAN!" The boy screamed, hatred filling his gut. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" He began to shake Conan as much as he could, which wasn't much. "MITSUHIKO STOP!" Ai warned, angering herself. Mitsuhiko's face instantly softened. He let go of Conan's shirt and the boy dropped helplessly to the ground, staring up at the usually kind boy. "Ironic, isn't it? You have become the one thing you hate the most." The three remaining detective boys just stood there, watching his every move, waiting for his next few words. Conan was about to ask him what he ment when Mitsuhiko spoke.

"A murderer."

This hit Conan hard. His pupils shrank and he started to shake a little. "How is Conan-kun a murderer?" Genta asked ignorantly. Mitsuhiko shook his head back and forth. "You two hurt me...but you killed Ayumi-chan." Guilt reached up and grabbed Ai's heart like an iron fist. Not just because she was just as gulity in the 'murder' of her best friend as Conan was, but because she had hurt the only boy besides Conan who had ever really understood her. Well, minus the Black Organization. "Wha-what?" Conan asked, voice trembeling. Mitsuhiko laughed and turned away from the two of them. Shifting his head to face the both of them, he stated: "And you call yourself a detective..." With that, he took his leave and walked out.

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Huff...huff...huff...huff.

Rain dripped all around the form of a young teenage girl as she stood there in the street.

She had no umbrella.

She had no raincoat.

She had no boots.

She had no sweater.

All she had was the dark cold spot in her heart. Betrayal, jealousy, heartbreak, disbelief. These feelings ran through her veins and her heart did nothing but pump them quicker as she sat there, her beat increasing. After a few deep breaths, Ayumi noticed that she didn't recognize where she was in the storm. She narrowed her eyes and sighed, walking towards the park beside her. _Better get out of the street. _

So there Yoshida sat, looking up at the gray sky that cried on her, allowing her to cry with it. She smiled and looked towards her legs, refusing to watch the scrunched up black clouds any longer.

(Flashback)

_"Today's the day, right?" Mitsuhiko asked, walking up to Ayumi's desk. Ai and Conan were in the corner chatting again, but Ayumi wasn't paranoid about that anymore. No, Ai had told her herself that she didn't hold any feelings for Conan-kun. And she probably still didn't after all of these years... She nodded and whispered. "Yep! I'm finally going to tell Conan-kun I love him today!" Of course, Conan knew this already. And everybody in the club knew that __he__ knew, but Ayumi-chan didn't! Ai had been the first one Ayumi point-blank told, being her best friend and all. Ai had told her she should defenitly go for it, that Conan seemed interested nowadays as well. _

_(Flashback in the flashback...LOL XD!)_

_**"So I should tell him?" **_

_**"Defenitly. Whenever I'm standing next to you, I see him staring right in our general direction. And now that you mention it, he HAS been overprotective of you lately."**_

_(End of flashback in the flashback! XD)_

_It was true. Whenever one guy stepped within a five mile radiuce of her and Ai, he would make an annoyed face. That is, until the guy started asking her and Ai out (which means the offer was open to either one) then in which case, he'd start growling in dis-satisfaction and give the boy a bloody death glare. This would send the boy apologizing and backing away. "So what about Ai-chan?"_

_Mitsuhiko's face turned beat red. "Uhh..."_

_"How about his? We'll tell them together after school and even bring Genta for support!" Genta's crush had weakened on Ayumi, just as Mitsuhiko's had over the years. Now they no longer had any feelings for her outside of friendship or family at all. "Pinkie swear?" The scientist laughed at her cute little childish question. He nodded his head and gripped her pinkie finger with his._

(End Flashback)

Ayumi sat there, shaking her head as if disagreeing with herself, when instead she was merely disagreeing with her actions and thoughts. "How could I have been so stupid?" She mumbled, tears falling down her cheeks. They washed away to the now dark green grass below her soaking wet shoes. "It wasn't me he cared about. It never was! It was always Haibara-san." Ayumi whimpered at her depressing words and looked up at the gloomy tree above her, the wet drips from the rich green leaves falling over her head. "What kind of idiot am I?"

Silence.

"WHAT KIND OF IDIOT?" Her voice echoed throughout the empty sidewalks and deserted roads, nobody hearing a word. She couldn't take it anymore...

Ayumi broke down into hysterics, sobbing right then and there on the drenched bench she sat on. Curling her legs up to her chest, she let the rain soak her body to the point of no return. It would look like she had taken a bath or jumped in the pool with her clothes on. It was alright, though. She decided. It didn't matter anyways.

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"Mitsuhiko-kun!"

"Go away Haibara-san. I'm not talking to you."

"Please, wait." Her calm tone made him stop for a few seconds before sighing in annoyance. "Go ahead. Say what you want to say. I can't garauntee I'll believe you."

Ai smiled. "I don't care, as long as I get it out."

The two stayed there or a few seconds, the rain not stopping outside the window. Lightning crashed and banged outside, but the two teenagers inside didn't care.

"Mitsuhiko-kun...why are you so upset with me kissing Conan?"

"That should be obvious by now." He sneered, hardly paying attention. Ai was hurt, to put it bluntly. When Shiho became Ai Haibara, she never pictured herself getting so caught up, so mixed up in all of this...a love rectangle.

"Mitsuhiko-kun, I know you're hurt. I know you're upset by what I did even if I don't know why. I have feelings for Conan, yes, but I never ment to hurt you with them."

"It's killing me, Haibara. KILLING ME. I can only imagine how Ayumi-chan feels." That was what he said, not even putting any term of endearment after her last name.

She'd crossed the line...

...but there was always turning back, wasn't there?

"I'm sorry." That was all that was needed to be said before she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his back, hugging him. He gave the only tiniest smile and hugged her back. "I still love you, Haibara-san."

Nodding, she answered: "Shouldn't you call your girlfriend by her first name instead?"

BOOOOM!

Ayumi Yoshida continued to sit on the park bench, lightning forming all around her. Whatever make-up she had on had washed away an hour ago, and the only company she had was the cold rain that hit her silky skin.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip!

It was dangerous to stay out here alone, she knew it. She just couldn't bring herself to go home just yet, though. The image of Conan came to her mind, knowing she would run into him the next day. It was inevitable seeing both of them tomorrow. Why couldn't she just skip? Well, she could but she'd get in trouble...

"Ayumi-chan?"

Said girl tensed, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Her voice didn't answer, but her throat's murmur of 'hmmm?' sure did. Conan walked around the bench to see her. She soon found less water pouring down over her. Looking up slowly, she came face-to-face with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. He was standing there in front of her, with an umbrella in his hand. "Ayumi, it is WAY too dangerous to be out here alone." He reached his hand out for her to grab. "Come on."

Ayumi didn't move, just stared up at him. His expression became annoyed. "Ayumi-chan, please." Instead of complying, she looked away, pouting. "Ayumi-"

"Leave me alone. Besides..." her tone darkned as she laid her head onto her arms, which were folded up on her knees. "...shouldn't you be sharing that with Haibara-san? Your girlfriend?" Conan rose an eyebrow and blushed, bubbles coming to his throat. Ayumi was the only one who was aloud to call Haibara by her first name and yet she was disrespecting that now? "Ayumi-"

"Don't call me that."

"What?"

Ayumi turned back to him, glaring. "You're not aloud to call me by my first name anymore." Turning away, she whispered "Traitor."

Conan was obviously hurt by this. His annoyed expression went to one of shock, to one of greif, to one of total sorrow. "Yoshida-san, I love Ai-chan. These things happen. You can't be upset with me. You don't have any right!" He growled. "And what's up with traitor? Ai-chan's the traitor! Not me! We weren't going out! It's not like I cheated on you!" Ayumi bit her lip, his words sinking down through her throat like a sloppy mess of a slurpy. "Yoshida-san that's pure selfishness!"

She smiled a little...

...he couldn't see her tears in the rain.

"I never thought you were that kind of person." His tone softened. "You were always such a sweet girl. But man is judged by how they fair when put in deep situations, hm?"

"Heh."

Conan's eyes widened as Ayumi smirked and laughed, getting up from her spot. "Goodbye, Edogawa-kun." The slender girl started to walk away. "A-Ayu-Yoshida-san! Wait! Don't walk out alone in this rain! It's lightning!" She didn't listen to him as she started to cross the pond, the grass she walked on getting mushy with mud. "YOSHIDA-SAN!" Conan called in a more urgent tone, realizing the girl wasn't going to stop. "PLEASE, WAIT!" Cursing under his breath, the detective boy went after her. "D^^ IT YOSHIDA! I SAID WAIT!" Ayumi stopped as he grabbed her wrist. "What part of STOP do you not understand?" He scolded.

Ayumi tensed, then shivered, whipping her head around. "The part where I actually listen to YOU!" Conan was obviously taken aback by this. His eyes were wide and his head was spinning. "You don't care about me! You never did and you never will so do me a favor and STOP ACTING LIKE YOU DO! I don't need you to tell me what's dangerous and what's not! I can't trust you anymore!" The girl hissed, venom overpowering her every word. He could notice it now, her tears. Her voice was cracking and she was trembling something fierce. He opened his mouth to deny it, but was quickly shut up. "Edogawa-kun just stop! STOP! I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" Now the tears were vivid, clear as day. He could see them trailing down her rosy cheeks and falling of her chin. "Don't tell me I'm wrong! Don't tell me you do care! Don't tell me I can still trust you! Don't lie to me, just don't!" That's when he noticed how obscenly beautiful she was. She was soaking wet and her hair was damp, and her eyes were bloodshot and her clothes were a mess, but she was truly a beauty. "Just leave me alone. I never want to see you **or** talk to you again." As she turned around to stomp off across the road, he pulled her back once more. Ready to turn around, Ayumi found herself being twisted towards him by a pair of hands on her shoulders.

When she got around, he was giving her this sweet smile, one she'd never seen him use before. Ayumi traced his face for a sign of slyness, or even humor, but found none. He was going to be seriouse about whatever he was about to say. A blush came across her cheeks and she looked away, only to have him turn back to face him. He could see her shyly narrow her eyes and calm down, waiting for him to speak. His eyes narrowed as well, innocently. "Yoshida-san, I'm not going to say any of those things, nor was I ever." Her heart dropped to the ground. In all truth, she was hoping he wouldn't listen and say those things anyways, disobeying her orders. "You're so stupid to think that!" A mocking voice came in her head. "There is only one thing I can say to you. One thing alone. A truth that stands alone by itself."

Her gasp caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry."

Alright, not what she was expecting.

Tears came to her eyes again and she tried to get out of his grasp, she tried to run away. But no, he held her there, restraining her sadness. "Let me go." She cried. She was whimpering now, begging, pleading. And yet...

...he couldn't let her go.

"Ayumi-chan."

"Edogawa-kun, please-"

BOOOOOOOM!

Her throat tightened and her tears stopped falling. Her body relaxed and she found herself sinking into a deep kiss. Conan held her there, gripping her in a sweet embrace. He grippied her shoulders tighter and she moaned a little, something she didn't mean to let slip. He smiled inwardly and set one hand to her cheek.

A kiss in the rain was all that was needed...

...huh.

The drops of wet water started to lighten and the lightning suddenly stopped. The clouds started to scatter and the sun came out, peeking it's little smiling face at the two teenagers in the park.

Pulling away, Ayumi faced her lip's attacker. He was staring down at her with an apologetic gaze, eyes full of regret and love. "C-Conan-kun..."

He gave her that sweet smile again and leaned his forehead to her's. "I love you, Ayumi."

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"Seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?"

Twenty-three-year-old Ai Tsuburaya looked into a photo album, her husband Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya watching over her shoulder. Twenty-four-year-old Genta Kojima laid back beside them, arms behind his head. He looked rather tired. Ayumi Edogawa sat on her husband, Conan Edogawa's lap and watching the other happy couple across from them. Conan looked towards his wife, smiling as the sunshine reflected off the peach walls onto her face, illuminating her features. "Yeah, it sure does!" She answered, chuckling. Her big smile made her even more beautiful as she lifted the tips of her fingers over her mouth.

"It was about seven years ago." Genta murmered, smirking. Ai nodded and laughed as Mitsuhiko landed a kiss on her cheek. "The years go by fast when you've got such beautiful wives, eh Conan?" Ayumi looked down at Conan for reassurance that she was still attractive. Smiling, he glanced to Ayumi and winked.

"Defenitly, _especially_ when you love eachother."


	7. Stealing and Suprising

**Love 7: Stealing and Suprising**

The Detective Boys sat scrunched together in the back seat of Eri Mouri's car. Ran was sitting in the passanger seat while Eri drove.

"Your father, getting himself put in the hospital because he flirted with the wrong girl. I swear that man needs help! HELP I tell you HELP!"

The lawyer (A/N: She IS a lawyer, right?) droned on, cursing out her husband's name. Ran just sat there, laughing nervously at her mother's french tounge.

Conan sighed and laid his arm onto the car door, trying to block out the sounds of the 'F' bomb being thrown here and there. The children sat silently, listening to Eri's every word. Their faces were pale and terrified. This was the first time they heard a donkey be used in such a way. Ayumi shivered and bit her lip as Eri continued to hiss unfriendly terms, hardly concidering using her 'inside voice'. Ai laughed a little in her seat, finding the mother's anger terribly amusing. Conan could only drift into his thoughts as Eri spewed out more curse words.

_Geez, if I said half of the words she's saying right now, I'd either blow my cover or make Genta and Mitsuhiko chase after me for scaring Ayumi to death!_

That's when a small thought accured to him.

_Hey, every time they've chased after me, Ayumi's given me a kiss on the cheek, which obviously pissed them off. _He turned to look the small girl as she clutched her hands to her chest, brawled in fists that were shaking wildly. _But then what would happen if it were __**me **__that kissed __**her**__? After all, Ran doesn't know I'm Conan, it's only a kiss on the cheek, and I can hide very easily from a few outraged children if I wanted to!_

An evil smile came over his face.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, he waited paitently for Eri's consistent cursing and the ride to come to an end.

_**LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY DOVEY! ;P**_

"AIR! AIR!" Genta fell out of the car after Ai gracefully walked out, Mitsuhiko toppling over him. Ayumi was about to climb out the same way, only to feel something hold her back. "Huh?" Conan stood outside the car door, holding her hand. "Come out this way." He commanded.

Blushing, she readily followed his instructions and came out from his end.

"Why what a gentleman you are, Conan-kun!" Ran cooed, smiling. He blushed and gave her a shy smile. "Thank you Ran-neechan!"

"." Eri stuck her nose in the air and stomped up to the desk. The children gave off a baffled look until Ran jumped in. "Just stay here until we come back with Dad, okay?" Finally understanding, the kids nodded and took their seats.

Conan waited until Ayumi sat down to take his own seat.

Ayumi rose an eyebrow when he sat next to her. "Conan-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah! Why?"

"Well...you've never really been this close to me before."

"Is that so?"

She blushed a light shade of pink when he rose an eyebrow right back at her. "Y-Yes." Conan silently scooched his chair closer to her, leaning over. "Really?"

Ayumi could feel his breath and she gasped. "Y-yes!"

Conan then got up out of his chair, offering Ayumi his hand. "Huh?"

"Get down here." Ayumi gulped but smoothed out her dress and took his hand. "What is it, Conan-kun?" Gripping her hand tighter, he walked right in front of the others. Mitsuhiko and Genta exchanged angered looks as he stopped in front of them. Ai only sat there with a newspaper, raising an eyebrow at the four.

"Genta! Mitsuhiko! Look what I'm doing!" Conan called in a singsong voice. Two nurses walked by and started to giggle at the youngsters. Ai started to giggle just as they did as she set the newspaper down to watch the show. "C-Conan-kun...what-" She was shushed by sudden finger contact to her lips. "What?" Mitsuhiko grimaced, crossing his arms. "We already get it! You're holding Ayumi's hand! So what?" Genta sneered, brawling his fists.

"Yeah, we've held Ayumi's hand WAY more than you ever have!"

Conan smirked. "That's why I'm doing something a little extra."

Heat rushed to Ayumi as she stood there, watching Conan adjust his coat really quick. Turning towards her, he found himself leaning in. Ayumi attempted to back up in shock, but was only pulled closer by his tug. "Sorry bout' this, Ayumi." The warm breath he gave off traveled down Ayumi's ear all the way to her neck. She blushed an even darker shade of red (if it were possible) and held her breath.

Peck!

Genta and Mitsuhiko sat there, suprised, terrified, and disturbed expressions on their faces. Ai gasped herself and dropped the newspaper.

Conan was leaning against Ayumi just as she usually did, giving her a kiss on the cheek. It was a few seconds before he pulled away, watching the other detective boys quietly. "Uhh, guys? Are you going to even ATTEMPT to beat me up?"

Instead, just as Tamaki from Ouran Highschool Host Club did, they went and pouted in emo corners. Conan sweatdropped. "Well, I was certainly hopping for a diffrent reaction than that." Ayumi stood behind him, feeling her cheek. "Conan-kun?" Turning around, Ayumi's lips met his cheek once again. This was about the twenty millionth time she'd done this...

...so why was he blushing as bad as he was?

When Ayumi pulled away, she gave him a small smile and blushed, batting her thick eyelashes at him. Ai got up out of her chair and walked over to him, nudging him. "What are you waiting for, idiot? You've got a girl here willing to kiss you, give it a shot!" Her hissing whisper left his ear as she walked over to Genta and Mitsuhiko, who were both fighting over the emo corner. Watching Ayumi intesnly, he sighed in annoyance. His basic 'I'm surrounded by idiot's' look came to fruition. Ran and Eri emerged, a beat up Kogoro limping on them. The shape of a high heel was indented on his head and he had a black eye, bruises on some areas of his face. "You are such a blasted fool, Kogoro!" Eri menaced, giving him a hard grimace as she and Ran supported him over to the check out. "Hey, it's not my fault she had pepper spray and some nasty fists and shoes on her!"

"Yeah, but it is your fault for flirting with her when you have your wedding ring on, Dad." Ran scolded, helping her mother walk her father. Turning back, Ran signaled for the group of children to follow. Ai nodded and grabbed Mitsuhiko and Genta by their shirts, dragging them behind her. Going after his 'girlfriend', Conan attempted to walk away, only to be pulled back by an unknown force. Turning around, he came face-to-face with Ayumi. She gave him a sad smile. "I know you love Ran-neechan, but just to make sure you know, I love you, too." With that, the seven-year-old hopped away gleefully, leaving a awestruck Conan behind.


	8. Uncarring and Guilt

**Love 8: Uncarring and Guilt**

Ayumi Yoshida sped down the hallways of Sonoko's winter mansion as fast as she possibly could, a hand held to her lips and tears running down her cheeks.

Guilt.

Guilt ate at her heart.

And she would let it devour as much as it wanted. She had no use for that stupid organ anymore...causing her so much pain.

She had kissed him.

She had kissed Mitsuhiko right in front of his eyes and he hadn't cared one bit. He was suprised at first, but that was it. That was it.

That was it...

Salty drops of water stained her off-white dress as she continued her hurried pace. Ai hadn't seen it. Ai didn't know that her best friend kissed her love interest. What was Ayumi to do now? She couldn't talk to her friend closest friend about it, and she was sane enough at the moment not to go to Mitsuhiko. Who in their right mind would go to Genta?

Deal with it.

She was to deal with the guilt and hurt and angst all by herself. Depression sweeped through her veins like icy cold water dripping on exposed skin.

Curse it all, she hadn't been expecting something as huge as this when she and the others came to visit. Why, why had she accepted his offer to bring her along? She KNEW she had a bad feeling about this. Why had she even tried to win his heart?

Kissing Mitsuhiko had been her final attempt. It had been her final wack at the bat.

Strike one...Strike two...Strike three Ayumi's out!

Turning a corner, she found herself speed-walking down a new hall.

_Exit...exit._

_Must find an exit!_

Her confused pacing stopped after a few seconds, when she found what she was looking for. Opening the dark wooden door, she didn't even dare slam the door behind her. Instead, she left it to close on it's own.

Her bare feet didn't even attempt to slip under her.

It was then Ayumi found what she truely wanted, what she wished for so desperatly back when she was standing there, eyes beaded to his.

A quiet, safe place where nobody would disturb her and all of her crazy thoughts.

Sitting down on the long distance between two statue gargoyales, she cradled up ont the thick surface and started to cry.

It was Ai that came to her mind first, Ai that made an apperence before her in her head. In the dark, cold vision of her brain, Ai was standing there, a glare wrapping her face to the maximum. "Ai-chan...I'm sorry I kissed him. It was selfish of me." The glare the imaginary Ai gave her deepened. "I should have been a better friend. I shouldn't have kissed him. I shouldn't have betrayed you so badly. I'm sorry, Ai-chan. I'm sorry."

It was then that the Ai figure gave her a warm smile as clear as day and faded away. Next that came to her mind was Mitsuhiko, just fading in. Her tears grew colder and she tightened her grip on her legs. "Mitsuhiko-kun. I'm sorry for leading you on like this, if even that. Ai-chan adores you, as you her. I've gottan in the way of that..." The figure gave her a saddened stare. "Mitsuhiko-kun...please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." The figure gave her the same exact smile as faded away, just as Ai had.

It was then that a dark, unrecognizable figure began to walk into her imagination's view. He was as shadowed as the pitch darkness surrounding her. But she knew who the figure was...

...oh yes, she knew who he was.

And she only had one thing to say to him.

"Conan-kun...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I love you. I'm so, so sorry..."


	9. Visits and Rain

**Love 9: Visits and Rain**

Ayumi Yoshida and Conan Edogawa sat on the wooden benches of the bus-stop. It was a humid fall day, leaves departing from the trees all around them. Conan couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with his friend. He watched her just sit there, this look on her face that made him want to cradle her and ask what was wrong. In all of the years he'd witnessed her grow, he'd never seen that face before. She was upset, it was in her eyes. Something was bothering her, something he didn't know about. "Ayumi-chan, are you okay?" She turned to him, her face sprinkled with shock one second, but then she was back to the saddened look yet again. She stared at the colorful ground beneath her, body all the way on the other side of the bench from him. He hadn't taken notice of that before, but now that he thought about it, the fact she was straining to avoid him should have been his first clue. Usually, even though she was sixteen, she would cling to him and give him plenty of kisses on his cheeks. To her dismay, never once on his lips.

"Conan-kun, what do you feel for me?"

This question was a strange one for her to ask, it was blatantly obvious she truly wanted it answered, too! He laughed nervously, hand on his lap clenching in fear. "Wh-what are you talking about?" Ayumi's focus never left the confines of the captivating leave-covered ground. She stared at the wind-blown tree coverings as they danced about her feet, seemingly toying with her vision. "Well, I've been getting asked out a lot lately…and I've always turned them down because I had you." She paused, clasping her hands together in her lap for minimum comfort. It hardly seemed to help, but she continued on with what she was saying even so. "But lately, it feels like you have me more than anything else." He raised an eyebrow slowly, confused. What she was saying made no sense, even to an accomplished detective like himself! "I just want to know, before I turn down every guy that's going to ask me out, if I have you, too. I want to know if our…" another pause. "…relationship goes both ways. I guess what I'm trying to ask is," she faced him once more, cheeks burning in a blush. "Do you love me, or do you not?"

Conan felt his cheeks flush, too, and his nervous system broke down. He looked away from her, attention to the fields far, far away.

"I _do _love you, Ayumi."

He heard her gasp in delight, sheer delight of which belonged to an awestruck child, or the unbelievably overjoyed teenaged girl she was. "But…only as a little sister." The happiness went out, just like that; the sound left as the happiness died. As the two feelings beat the popsicle stand, he felt her shift closer to the end of the bench, as far as she could scoot away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." _It was stupid of me to think otherwise… _She smiled. _Good thing I'm already sitting on the other end. _Minutes passed before the bus came, many _awkward_ minutes at that. Every once in a while Conan would steal short glances at the female beside him, and every once in a while she would attempt once more to scoot even further away from him. The leaves continued to move all about, dancing around the teens' clad shoes and running down the sidewalk like human beings. Just when Conan couldn't take any more of the silence, just when he was feeling undeniably tempted to get up and walk away from the thick tension… the bus arrived. The two teenagers boarded the automobile, sitting next to each other, much to his surprise. He'd expected Ayumi to get up from the bench they had been sitting on, apologize, say that she has to go do something (even when they both knew that was a lie) and run off, tears in her eyes. But no, she seemed to be stronger than that. He stared at her as she leaned against the window, bangs hovering over her eyes and clouding her expression. She's never been this tough before, so why now?

"Ayumi-chan, why?"

She hummed questioningly in response, not moving a single centimeter in his, or any other, direction. "Why are you staying by me when you could easily leave and not have to deal with sitting next to me all the way home?"

He saw her smirk under the shadow, the emptiness in it concerning him deeply. "Because, it's not like it's gonna change anything between us." He felt his eyes widen as she moved only the tiniest bit, propping herself further onto the window. "No matter what I did at that moment, whether I left or stayed by you, it wouldn't change your answer. So why put myself through the torture of walking so far home when I could just stay and take the bus with you?" His body stiffened. "It'd be problematic either way."

"Ayumi, you're putting mental distress on yourself! Why are you still sitting by me then?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she dug her head further into the glass. _Besides, the forecast says it's going to rain today, and I forgot my umbrella._

More minutes (agonizing thousands of seconds for Conan) passed by before it started to rain, the bus slowly pulling to a stop three blocks away from their houses. "This is our stop." Conan alarmed, standing up. Ayumi stayed where she sat like statue for all of five seconds before eventually standing up as well and following him out.

Their shoes were covered in mud by the time they made it across the road, and their socks were sure to have big, black stains on the sides of them after a long wash. Both of them were soaked to their heels and their bright brown shoes became just as dark as a pile of…do you mind if I don't finish that sentence? "I'm going this way." He said, pulling out his umbrella. It wouldn't support him that long anyways, three blocks isn't far at all. Besides, the umbrella was not big enough to cover him entirely. All he could use it for was to keep his bookbag (and it's contents) nice and dry. "Okay, see ya later." She responded blankly, and almost robotically. With the wave of a hand, she walked off…without an umbrella. He watched after her, just standing there, waiting to see if she took one out. But she hardly seemed to notice the rain pelting her smooth skin. He narrowed his eyes. "She forgot her umbrella." _That bahrou._ Shaking his head back and forth, he ran to catch up with her.

Ayumi stopped suddenly and swiftly when she realized the water wasn't hitting her anymore. She turned to look at the culprit, and upon seeing Conan, gasped once more. "You forgot your umbrella, right?" She nodded hesitantly and shivered at the touch of his arm hitting her back. "Then I'm walking you home."

"Conan-kun, you don't have to."

"Yeah, I kinda do. Do you know how mad Ran will be with me if I let you get sick when I could stop it from happening?" She smirked. So that was what this was about…

The two walked to her house, side-by-side. Every now and again, he would steal peeks at her. Her hair was sticking to the sides of her head and there were wet streaks running down her face that could have easily been misidentified for salty tears, not to mention her white school shirt was soaking wet, so it was considerably see-through. He blushed and turned away from that area, looking at her face instead, which was slightly tinted red. Her eyes were down-casted and she kept a suitable distance from him, which he didn't mind at all. What really caught his attention was the work the water did for her. She looked beautiful, he had to admit. Her blush was what completed it all, though. Conan forced himself to face straight ahead, not daring to look or even glance at the spectacle beside him. Soon enough, the two of them were at her door, and she was turning the handle. "See ya, Ayumi."

Getting no response, he turned around, walking off the property. He stopped for a few seconds, waiting once again for her to say something, only to hear silence. He continued walking, but upon being held back by a sudden grip on his shirt, he stopped. Conan slowly turned around to face Ayumi, who was once again staring at the ground, which was a lot damper than it had been before from the wet droplets falling from the sky and the humid feeling in the air. "It's really starting to pour out there. You can come in and stay with me until it gives out." He smiled.

!

Ayumi held out a white shirt and black pants to him, both being his size. "Huh, aren't these your Dad's?" she nodded and grinned at him. "Yeah, but I'm sure he won't mind." Accepting the clothes, he thanked her and walked into the bathroom. Ayumi sat there on her bed, legs crossed as she waited for him to come out. The quiet aura was disturbed by the sudden sound of the tired boy's stomach rumbling, and as he slipped his shirt off, Conan halted, a deep blush burning his cheeks. Ayumi's innocent laughter echoed to him through the door. "Hey, Conan. It sounds like you're hungry, so I'm gonna' go make something warm to eat. I think it'll fit this cold weather!" Conan yelled an 'okay' in agreement and was soon left alone in her bedroom's bathroom. It wasn't long before he came out again; dressed in the clothes he was given. Conan fastened the buttons on his shirt, looking all around the room. It didn't look like it belonged to a teenage girl, but a little one. Butterflies were painted on the walls with a pink background, and the faint smell of honey and lavender filled the room, a smell he easily recognized as Ayumi's natural fragrance. "Wow, I can't believe she still has such a childish room when she's so big now!" He tried to look around the room a little longer, only to smell something cooking. Raising his eyebrows once more, he made a U-turn and walked his way down to the kitchen.

"What are you cooking?" He asked, taking slow steps down the stairs. "Eggs and bacon."

"I take it school made you-" He paused upon entering the room, jaw hanging open at the sight before him. Ayumi was standing there, mixing the egg batter in a bowl. She was wearing a yellow off-the-shoulder shirt with a green tank-top under it, a dark grey miniskirt to match. Her hair was blow-dried and she had her eyes narrowed peacefully at her work. "…hungry too." He finally finished his sentence as she turned towards him. "What, what's wrong?" He felt his body shiver and he decided to quickly take a seat, in an effort to hide certain things about him Ayumi did NOT need to know. "N-nothing." Conan leaned his head into his palm and Ayumi continued to mix, the spoon turning the batter over and over and over again. Conan couldn't help but skim her over. He could honestly say he didn't expect for her to grow up and be _this _gorgeous. It was almost alien how much she changed. Her eyes seemed to be a much deeper blue than he cared to notice, and her hair had grown past her shoulders. She had gotten rid of her headband entirely (although she had still persisted on wearing it different ways until she reached high school) and her bangs, at least the ones closer to the sides of her head, were just long enough to have reached her eyelashes had they been closer. He watched her go back and forth, skirt swaying to and fro as she went about her own business, cooking and batting and shaking, etc…

Ayumi twisted the timer for the eggs before sitting across from him. Noticing Conan's eyes on her, she blushed and turned away. "What, why are you staring at me?" Edogawa's face burnt a little bit, but he kept it under control. "No reason." Ayumi stared down at the table.

"When did it start, Ayumi?"

"Huh?"

She looked up from the marble top, only to see Conan's eyes fixed on her's. She inhaled and blushed just a little in response, but kept her eyes locked on his. He was leaning back against the chair with his beautiful deep eyes staring into her. "When did all of this start changing between all of us?"

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back a little further. "I don't know, it's just…" he paused, seemingly trying to find the right words for it. Ayumi kept her attention focused on him, eyes penetrating the very essence of focus. "Everything changed in our relationships as a group. The Shonen Tentai Dan just isn't the same anymore."

Ayumi curiously rose her eyebrows and enlarged her eyes. "How so?"

"Well, think about it, Ayumi. The only ones out of the group who really kept an interest in detective work are the two of us. I mean, Mitsuhiko got more into science as time went on, Haibara following suit. Genta got into agriculture and farming, when was the last time he even brought UP a case all on his own?" Ayumi shrugged just as he did, stating her obliviousness to the answer he wished but urging him to go on at the same time. "Not to mention Mitsuhiko and Ai have started dating, Genta even has a girlfriend! Officer Satou and Takagi got together when we were still small and so did Kogoro and Eri! I mean…" he traveled off and looked away, unconsciously giving Ayumi hints at the sadness coursing through his veins. "Even Ran got married to Araide-sensei." This caused a sudden heart string to snap in the both of them for two different reasons. For Conan, well that answer was obvious. For Ayumi…not only is the man she was in LOVE with in LOVE with somebody ELSE, but his heart was being broken by the other person. She inhaled once more as she started to speak. "Conan-ku-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The sentence coming from her lips was shut closed abruptly by the sound of the stove finishing their food product. She twisted to look at it. "Well, sounds like the food's done." She turned to face Conan, whose face was back to normal and in desperate need of some food. Ayumi felt her own face drop as she stood up. "Umm, excuse me."

He nodded in response as she walked over to the stove.

"Anyways, it looks like it's starting to rain even harder, do you mind if I spend the night?"

Ayumi shrugged for the fifth time that night as she pulled the eggs off the stove, slipping some onto one plate and a little more than half on the other. "Sure thing. My dad's on a business trip and my mom's spending the night at her friend's house." He raised an eyebrow.

"Her friend's going through a divorce and needs the support."

"Ah…" Conan sniffed the air, taking in the baked aroma of eggs. "Hey, that smells good, Ayumi-chan!" She smiled at the compliment, setting the two plates onto the table. The one plate with more bacon and eggs on it was in front of Conan, while she had less of it all on her plate. "I know It's not your nee-chan's cooking but it'll have to do."

The two of them ate together in silence…or they would have had Conan not let out a shriek of surprise. "Ayumi-chan! I almost forgot!" She looked up; setting down the spoonful of eggs she had been holding up. Her mouth formed in a perfect 'o'. "Where am I going to sleep?"

Ayumi tilted her head to the side. "Oh, don't worry. We have a spare bedroom." She looked back down at her plate, toying with her food. "You don't have to sleep in my room or borrow my parent's room if you don't want to."

_I hope he doesn't notice how badly I'm blushing right now!_

Conan made a boyish little squeak and began to eat silently again.

!

"Okay, so dinner's done I guess…" Ayumi stated, putting the dishes in the sink.

"Don't you mean breakfinner?" Ayumi laughed at Conan's mash word and turned the faucet on, then she turned it off again to conserve water (and cash). "ANYWAYS, **dinner's **done I guess, and it's only 9:00 so what do you want to do, now?"

He pressed his index and thumb onto of and under his chin. "Hmm, let's see… do you have any video games we can play?" Ayumi smiled cheerily. "Yes! As a matter of fact, we've got a detective game! Follow me?"

Conan did as told and followed the female upstairs, heading towards the guest bedroom.

"What's the game called?"

"_Heavy Rain._" (A/N: LOL)

Ayumi slowly opened the door to the bedroom, flickering the lights on her way in. Conan wasn't very far behind, in fact, he was two inches away from breathing down her back. She couldn't help it; this made her heart jump for joy. She sat down on the cream-colored bed, patting the seat next to her for him to sit down on. He did as directed as she grabbed a controller and handed it to him. "It's only one player but I love watching my dad play so…"

He smiled and took to controller from her. "Too scared to play?" He asked, a playful spark in his eye. Ayumi gasped and blushed, grasping her hands to her chest. "Hey, I never said that!"

_Oh baby I can't stop my love for you_

_I'll become your everything I believe in your promise_

Ayumi and Conan both took a look at his pocket, which was ringing uncontrollably with the song blasting from it. "Hold on a sec. Ayumi-chan."

Conan lifted the phone out of his pocket, the ringtone getting more audible as he did so.

_Before our eyes, the mystery of this incomplete map_

_Has spread and expanded_

Beep.

"Hello?" It only took the first sound from the person on the other end to make Conan's face fall. Ayumi's eyes narrowed at his expression. She knew who it was on the other line. Her heart sunk even further in her chest. She reached up to clutch it, only to find her shirt being pulled down lower and being grabbed tightly by her fist.

"Neehh… Ran-neechan, I'm not coming home tonight…no, I'm spending the night at Ayumi's." Just by him saying those words her heart began to flutter in her chest. The conversation continued in the background. Ayumi looked up and watched in awe as Conan's face began to get a brighter and brighter shade of red as Ran spoke on the other end. "RAN-NEECHAN! We'll be sleeping in separate rooms! How could I possibly- NO! I WOULD MOST CERTAINLY **NOT **DO THAT TO AYUMI-CHAN!" Ayumi blushed her own shade of red, knowing fully well of what Ran was accusing his motives of being. She could have sworn she just heard the words 'whatever' and 'condom' come from the other side of the phone, which made both her and Conan turn cherry red.

Conan's eyes narrowed and he gained that adorable look of annoyance on his face Ayumi found herself adoring so much. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be good to her while I'm here. Bye Ran-neechan."

Ayumi noticed it at that very moment. He paused after she had said something, and that sparkle came back to his eyes, and the fashion in which they were narrowed in became that of love…not that of annoyance. Ayumi couldn't help but listen for his response, face showing both concern and jealousy. "Yeah, yeah I love you too, Ran-neechan."

Crash, bang-bang, SCREEEEEEEEK, snap, shatter.

Ayumi mentally cringed at the noises her mind was making to over-exaggerate her broken heart. Conan pulled the red cellphone from his ear, the same one he had for years, and pressed the red 'END CALL' button. "Sorry, Ayumi-chan. Ran-neechan has been very protective of me lately." His voice sounded annoyed, but his face clearly showed overjoyed happiness from the goodbye he had gotten. When he didn't get a response, he turned to look at his silent friend. "Ayumi-chan?" She sat there, the shadow of her bangs covering her eyes. He fully turned his body towards her, slight worry captivating his features. "Oi, Ayumi-chan?" Her head came up, and there was a big, beautiful…misleading, empty, fake smile on her face. "Umm, Conan-kun, you can go ahead and start the game while I go get some drinks for us. I've already seen the beginning of the game so I won't be missing much."

The detective helplessly watched as Ayumi got up from her seat and strolled out of the bedroom, fake smile still there, perched on her face. His head actually went far enough to follow her out of the room. She suddenly stopped at the doorway and turned to face him. "What do you want to drink Conan-kun?" He took one step back, for some reason utterly frightened by her innocent question. "Uh-uh water'll be just fine!" She nodded and continued to walk out of the room, unknowingly causing Conan's eyes to follow her out.

For some reason, he couldn't help it tonight. Every time he had to look at Ayumi, he couldn't stop. Now here he was looking her up and down as she walked, taking in all the sweet details of _**her**_.

He found himself loving it.

He loved how her hair swayed back and forth across her shoulders.

He loved the way her hips moved with her legs.

And boy, did he LOVE the way her butt-

_GAH! BAD BOY CONAN! Ayumi's your friend…your friend. You don't like her so stop ACTING LIKE YOU DO!_

He took a seat on the bed where Ayumi had been sitting moments ago, and he couldn't stop himself from twisting his head to look at her again.

Oh MAN…she really wasn't a little girl anymore, was she?

Somewhere, in the back of his head, a tiny little voice said: _"Yeah, no s^!t dude!"_

!

It had been about two hours after the call, and both of them had gotten up to refill their drinks at LEAST three times by then. They had gotten pretty far into the game, and the just LOVED beating the crap out of the old guy! "Hey, Ayumi? Do you need to refill your drink again?"

She shook her head, a fresh, real smile still there. "No, mine's still perfectly full. Why? You need to refill your drink?" He nodded. "Yeah, I'll be right back."

Unfortunately, fate had different plans for Conan Edogawa…MUCH different plans.

These plans included him tripping on a wire and falling backwards. It also involved a LOT of splatter and embarrassment.

"AHHH!"

"S-Sorry!"

Conan had already been saying sorry before he even realized how bad the situation was…

He opened his squeezed shut eyes, just to get a look at what had happened.

His vision was blurry, WAY TOO blurry for him to really see anything. All he saw was…the vague color of the bed sheets, an unfamiliar red substance on both him, the bed, and the other very unclear thing under him.

The third unclear thing started breathing heavily under him…

_AW SHI-_

His vision cleared once again, and he could easily make out the spilled contents of Ayumi's drink all over the bed, the bed, and the shocked, blushing girl under him.

He could feel his own cheeks light up by just watching her, and he didn't dare move.

"A-Ayumi-chan, s-sorry!"

There was something wrong here…this shouldn't have felt so right to him. There was red liquid covering all three objects, and it was beginning to drip off of him, but he didn't really seem to care. All he saw was that Ayumi was under him, they were on a bed, and her parents weren't home…

_GAH! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? THIS IS AYUMI-CHAN! NOT RAN OR HAIBARA!_

He felt slightly disturbed that Haibara came to his mind at that point…

Ayumi stared up at him, her eyes lighting up by just staring into his. Her hands separated their bodies, but still didn't hold up much resistance as they clutched his white-covered torso a little tighter than acceptable between friends.

And their lips…they kept getting closer, and closer, and closer until-

Conan shook his head, pulling himself up off of the to-remain-innocent girl. He didn't love her, and it would be wrong to misguide her as different. He couldn't live with himself if he caused Ayumi so much pain…

…he couldn't bear to make her cry like Ran did.

"C-Conan-kun!" Ayumi sat up as well, hand to her chest once again, and just as always, it was in a fist. "I…I'm sorry. I was getting…carried away." He shook his head again. "No problem, that was my fault, too. I should have gotten up sooner." _Besides, I was getting just as carried away as you were… _He gulped, afraid of the silence he was receiving from the other end. "Uhh, we might want to clean these comforters."

!

Ayumi closed to washer door, turned the nob, and let it go. She stepped back from the machine, leaning on the wall in front of Conan. "So there aren't any other blankets or covers clean at all?"

Ayumi shook her head. "No, my cousins tend to get EVERYTHING dirty when they visit, ESPECIALLY the sheets when they eat in bed." He sighed. "And I can't borrow your parent's comforter?"

"No, it's dirty, too."

"How?"

"Let's just say my parents are trying to have another baby."

Conan gulped. "Ohhh…"

Ayumi huffed and folded her hands behind her back. If everything else in the house was dirty…that meant he had to sleep...

"Gah!" She let out a tiny little squeal at the thought. The blush came back to strike terror once more. "So I guess that means we have to…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Conan's face heated up as well. "Well, how long should it take for the washer to finish?"

Ayumi turned to face the machine…

…when it broke.

Sweatdrop…

"AHHHHHHH! OH NO! IT'S BROKEN!"

The girl lunged over to it, trying desperately to change the harsh reality she was currently living in.

Conan curled one side of his mouth up in twitching annoyance. Great, now he had no choice!

_I can't believe I'm doing this… I'd honestly rather sleep without any covering than share a bed with her, but I can't let her know that._

Conan sighed and reached over, placing a hand on the freaking female to calm her down. She twisted to him, surprise on her face. "It's alright, Ayumi-chan. We can sleep in the same bed."

Any blind fool could see Ayumi's deep blush.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

!

Conan sighed for the sixth time that night as he stared at himself in the mirror. He was clad in blue pajamas that fit him just right. _Huh…her father must be a very small man._

Conan reached up to the sides of his face, slipping his only piece of disguise off and setting it onto the counter before turning the faucet on and splashing water in his face.

Once.

Twice.

Three times…

Conan Edogawa looked up to see Shinichi Kudo, before he was first shrunk, staring back at him. _Goodbye Conan Edogawa, hello Shinichi Kudo. _He shook his head back and forth before wiping the remains of the liquids off of his head and walking out the door.

What he saw when he entered the room was Ayumi, already under the covers and on her side, with her eyes open and un-resting. Her pupils tilted to look at him in the darkness, even if they couldn't help her see anything at the moment. She smiled gently and blushed a little. "It fits you well!"

He grinned sheepishly and walked around to the other side of the queen bed, hesitantly slipping under the covers. As he squirmed his way into the bed, figuring out what territory was his and what was her's, he felt her shiver just the tiniest bit, and that made him smile in nervousness. "Goodnight, Conan-kun." That voice; it sounded so sure yet so worried at the same time. "Goodnight, Ayumi-chan." But he supposed his voice sounded the same way.

Minutes passed, endless minutes in the pitch black darkness, and nothing happened, neither of them were asleep, nor had either one of them accomplished the feeling of comfort. It was hard too, when you knew that one of you was in love with the other but the other didn't return the feelings. He shifted uncomfortably underneath the covers, keeping an eye on Ayumi's movements. She had not moved and was still staring away from him, back towards him. His eyes narrowed.

The moonlight shined through the blinds just well enough for him to see the outline of her figure, now that he was lying down. He felt something glitter in his eyes as he watched her breath in and out as he slowly but surely fell in tune with her. "Ayumi-chan?"

"Yes?" So he was right…she was still awake.

"Are you alright?"

She hesitated with her answer, although she knew two things she wanted to say. "I should be asking you that question."

"Huh?"

"Conan-kun…all this time you've been madly in love with Ran-neechan, right? It has to be the hardest thing in the world for you to go through…to see her marry another man." She felt him stiffen next to her, but he said nothing to stop her, so she continued. "In all honesty, Conan-kun, had Shinichi-niichan came back, she would have probably married _him _instead, so you would have lost either way." She was being terribly blunt, and she sounded evil, but he needed to hear it. He needed to be told there wasn't a chance for him and Ran, anyways!

No response…

She got no response from him.

She sighed, giving up, as she fixed her pillow and scooted just a little further from him. _Just like today at the bench… _She bit her lip to keep the tears back that were fighting to just burst out of her eyes any minute. In the long run, they wore down, and she was the least bit calm again, for the time-being.

Conan sat there, millions of thoughts running through his head. Things that had been said to him, his own thoughts, his feelings…

_Ran…had I not given up…had I really tried harder to find a cure, I would've been the one at the end of the aisle, waiting for you just like you did for me all that time. _He cringed and narrowed his eyes even further. _If I had just tried harder… _

But then he caught a sight of the picture in front of him. Ayumi's shoulders moved up and down silently, as much as she would allow them to. Her whimpering was so silent, that even in the pure silence of the dark room, he could hardly hear it. _Ayumi…you think I'm turned the other way, don't you? _She was crying…over him, he just knew it!

_D%N IT! _

He mentally shook his head vigorously at this. _Ayumi…_

He reached out…

_You're crying over me…_

Ayumi sharply stopped her sobbing as she felt an arm being wrapped around the line just below her chest.

_Please…stop!_

Conan scooted over completely, his arms wrapped around Ayumi, and holding her close to his chest. "Ayumi…I can't take your tears. Don't cry, please."

Her red eyes widened as he pulled her closer, setting his head onto her shoulder. "Conan-kun…"

_He's…he's spooning me!_

"Ayumi-chan, I'm sorry." He leaned up and kissed her cheek, sending a few more kisses all down her collarbone (all of which made her shiver and gasp in delight). He inwardly smiled at this as he finished his words.

"I didn't mean to lie when I told you I didn't love you." Ayumi, shocked as could be, turned to face him, astonishment written across her face. His smile made her squeal in enjoyment. "Ayumi, I think I might have lied to Ran, too while I was on the phone with her."

"About sleeping in separate rooms?"

He smiled mischievously. "Guess again."

Ayumi felt her entire face turn beat red…

…and gulp.


	10. Favorites and Princes

**Love 10: Favorites and Princes**

Conan was fuming.

No, he was pissed.

No, he was OUTRAGED.

She was only a child! A pure, innocent child that did NOT need to get caught up in something so…so DIFFICULT!

DANGEROUS even!

What was he supposed to do now? What was he to do now that Ayumi- his keen little follower- had a taste of KID and wanted more?

ARGH! Just THINKING about it got the blood rushing to his head!

It was wrong! It was all wrong!

Ayumi followed _him_.

Ayumi adored _him_.

Ayumi cared about _him_.

Not KID! Never KID! Conan growled. All it took was one kiss on the cheek and a rose and SUDDENLY, the situation turned to this;

Ayumi researched _KID_.

Ayumi talked about _KID_.

Ayumi turned on her TV every night to watch _KID_.

Thoughts and memories of the murders he solved came rushing back to him. He had never felt so d^n _compelled _to steal one of their ideas.

What? Was he not paying enough attention to her?

Was he not saving her enough?

Was he not responding the way she wanted him to? (Well, of course he wasn't, but still!)

What did KID do that had Ayumi switch her favorites so easily?

He tried to think back to the night, attempting to make SOME sense out of it.

_It was a dark, stormy- no…_

_It was a sunshine filled- oh god, what?_

_**It was a windy, considerably chilly night. Yes, yes, that's right. Conan and the Detective Boys had been invited by Ran and Sonoko to a party that celebrated Ran's karate dojo's victory in the tournament. It was some fancy event that the school spent 500 semi-dollars on. Conan hadn't really wanted to go, but Ran wouldn't take no for an answer. "If Shinichi isn't coming," she said "then YOU most certainly are!" The top corner of Conan's mouth twisted up when he heard this, the question running through his mind on how Ran had rationalized that thought in her head, or how those words came so fluently through her mouth without her realizing she was saying something stupid.**_

_**He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the clock. The main reason he had wanted to attend this party was solely for the fact that KID had another heist planned here for tonight. Had this not been a matter in his decision, he wouldn't be wearing a small black tuxedo with a red rose hanging out of it. Ran had looked at him the moment he stepped out of his room and cooed him about how he was 'oh so cute' and 'oh so adorable'. Had he been- yes, another HAD situation- Shinichi, he would have bit her head off. No, he wouldn't have gotten the chance. She would have NEVER said anything like that to HIM him. People talked all around him, saying that KID was going to pull that stunt tonight. Few others were sneaking out the door to go and watch the heist take place.**_

_**The clock struck twelve and it was WAY past his bedtime on a school night, but this was a vacation. The detective smirked. It was time.**_

_**In the next building over, KID was pulling off the heist. He had distracted the officers with a dummy, sending them on the run after an inanimate object. He laughed to himself, turning the jewel over and over again in his hands. It shined brightly, the lights of the room hitting it just right. "Wow, can't wait to get this baby out into the moonlight!"**_

"_**I certainly hope that isn't a pick-up line."**_

_**Taking in a deep breath, the thief turned to face Nakamori; the man had been watching him with a deep grin.**_

"_**Neh, Nakamori-san! Long time no see!"**_

"_**You little **__**rat**__**! Long time no see my $$! I saw you the other night!"**_

"_**Oh yes, you did, didn't you? Oh well, 48 hours is quite a while when you're close friends!"**_

"_**CLOSE FRIENDS? YOU SON OF A-"**_

_**The chuckling Phantom Thief ran off, leaving the swearing Nakamori to chase after him.**_

_It was at that point, _Conan thought, _it was at that time that he definitely came to that room._

_**Conan wondered down the halls, his tux starting to get really hot against his skin. Adjusting his tie, he stopped to look at a painting. "What's wrong? I've already checked all the places he could POSSIBLY be. If Nakamori stayed behind to catch KID- which I know he did, his car's still here- then KID would either go through an air vent or he would hide in a near-by room. But he wasn't in ANY room near the museum that holds that jewel, so where is he?" Conan wondered still, fingers under his chin.**_

"_**Neh! Conan-kun?"**_

"_**Huh?" Turning around after feeling two taps on his shoulder, Conan came face-to-face with his 8-year-old friend, Ayumi. "EH? Ayumi-chan? What are you doing here?"**_

"_**My older sister is in Ran-neechan's dojo and took me here to celebrate with her!" Conan sighed. This would make things a whole lot more complicated. So now he would have to find some way to trick Ayumi into thinking she had a special reason to stay in the next building, and then he would have to find a way to keep her there, and then he would have to figure out the quickest escape route in case she refused to stay…hey, wait a second! It hit him. "Anyways, Conan-kun, I knew you would be here and there's something I wanted to talk to you abou-"**_

"_**Sorry, Ayumi-chan! But not right now! I have more important things to worry about!" **_

"_**Bu-BUT CONAN-KUN!"**_

_**He simply waved goodbye to her as he ran off towards the direction he had been walking in.**_

_What really peeks my curiosity is that she was holding something behind her back. I wonder what it was?_

_**Conan had ran over to the end of the hallway, crashing the door open. "KID!" He called. There was no answer. "…I know you're in here, you thief! Come out, NOW!" **_

_**There was still no response.**_

_**What? He was wrong AGAIN? "IMPOSSIBLE!"**_

_**Turning on his heel, the tuxedo flying up and down against his back, the shrunken detective ran to the door that had been just in front of him and Ayumi, right in front of that portrait he was staring at. That **__**had**__** to be the room. It HAD to!**_

"_**KID!"**_

_**That would be the last time Conan let Ayumi wonder in big buildings by herself.**_

_**Ayumi stood there, looking up with glazing eyes at Kaitou KID, who placed a cherry red rose in her hair, complimenting her ruby red Baby Doll dress with Mary-Janes. Conan held back a disgruntled yell for her to get behind him when KID leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Now remember, you're a girl worthy of being called a princess." He cooed, making Conan nearly gag in his throat. Kaitou KID leaned even further in and whispered something else in her ear, making her blush.**_

_**Okay, that was it.**_

"_**KID!"**_

Yep, that was how it went. So what DID he say? Whatever it was he whispered in her ear was what caused this transition, he was sure.

Well, whatever. It's not like he cared. KID wasn't going to just DRAG Ayumi into one of his heists, he was sure of it.

So why should he be upset?

Well, mainly because after thinking that last thought, he found himself staring Ayumi straight in the eyes and asking her why she likes KID more than him.

Ayumi stared blankly, blinking once, twice, three times.

Then she smiled.

"Oh, Conan-kun! I don't like KID more than you!"

Now it was Conan's turn to blink. "W-What?"

"Conan-kun, he may be charming, but I already have a prince that saves me!" To signify she was talking about him, she went up and kissed his cheek. "And he is, has been, and always will be my favorite prince!"

That day, Ayumi and Conan walked out of Teitan Elementary School together, hand in hand.

!:);):):):);)

Okay, that was a request from TEAM AYUMI!

Oh for god sakes, Team Ayumi! GET A FANFICTION ACCOUNT SO I CAN CONTACT YOU EASIER! xD Your my #1 reviewer and I'd like to be able to communicate with you without updating my chapters every day! It's draining! . lol

Anyways, she requested, quote: "Make the next one with Conan getting jealous of Kaitou Kid kissing Ayumi's hand and giving her a rose for a gift. (Ether after the balcony scene From Movie 3 or another time in a heist)"

So I did just that! ^_^ Yes, I am taking requests. ;) Sooooo… hope you guys enjoyed!


	11. Hands and Kisses

**Love 11: Hands and Kisses**

Ayumi's hand was so small, so very small. It occurred to Conan.

Her hand was so small and so soft and so gentle. Why did it have such a unique feeling then?

Was it because they were 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'?

Was it because she used some type of special soap that made her hands so soft?

That could be the truth…

But her hands… her tiny, delicate hands that held onto his so firmly.

Well, sometimes the grip was firm. It was firm when she was scared or excited.

Her grip was playful and loose when she was happy or unfocused.

Her grip was loving when she stared at him and asked him if he liked her every day.

He never really knew how to answer that.

She always asked, never hesitating on a good day, but on a hard day hesitating until she's blue in the face. She would always want a clear answer, and when he gave her none, she gave up for the remainder of the day.

When he responded with an "I like you, too" to her "I love you" she never questioned it. She never asked why he never returned it. She just let it go, or so it seemed.

But then there the two of them were, the heartache in her eyes definite and distant at the same time.

This was the time to give her the real answer, as to why he never said he loved her.

He didn't, he said. He didn't love her. He said he was sorry.

She nodded and told him in a shaking voice it was alright before walking away.

She hasn't called him for weeks.

He's worried.

He doesn't know what to do.

He's losing his hair over this.

He picks up the phone and calls her.

He gets the voicemail.

A few more weeks pass, and he's called her several times- her, answering none of them. He tries to ask Haibara what's wrong.

Haibara says that Ayumi hasn't said anything to her about it.

The whole month passes.

They haven't had any contact.

He desperately misses her hands.

Two months have gone by now without direct contact, they only saw each other discreetly at work while she was passing by him in the hallway.

He called her name.

She didn't respond.

He desperately misses her lips on his cheek.

Three months have gone by now without one word. She emailed him, but it was a forwarded chain-mail message. Everybody on her contacts list had the email sent to them.

He desperately misses her hugs.

It's been four months, and he sees Ayumi in a café with another man.

He asks Haibara why.

She tells him Ayumi wants to tell him it's over.

He desperately misses the rainy days where he'd sit and cuddle with her.

They're a week into the fifth month, and he gets word that Ayumi and this other guy are getting serious.

He goes home and cries into his arm against the wall.

A week after that he hears a knock on his door. He's on vacation and he doesn't want to be bothered.

It's Haibara.

She and Mitsuhiko are getting married.

He smiles and says he's happy for them- and he is, but he misses her eyes.

A week after that he hears that Ayumi broke up with this new guy.

He goes home and jumps for joy but wonders why they broke up.

He asks Haibara.

She tells him Ayumi still isn't over him.

He goes to her house and knocks on the door.

He hears a few clicks before she opens up.

She stands there, eyes red and hair a little shaggier than usual.

He realizes he missed her.

He doesn't wait for her to talk; he grabs her waist and pulls her in.

He's been craving her lips.

She's been craving his as well.

Her arms wrap around him and she lets out a gentle moan.

He deepens the kiss and moans himself, realizing how much he missed her voice.

It starts getting serious and they're against a wall.

He rubs her shoulders and she cries a little as though he's toying with her.

Finally, the two pull away and he realizes how badly he's wanted her in his arms again.

She's thinking this is a mistake and that she shouldn't have done this, but she doesn't tell him.

She stares up at him with those big blue eyes that were still filled with the hurt he'd seen that day. They're filled with something else, though.

He pulls her in again and gives her a tiny hickey on the side of her neck, leaving behind a kiss.

She enjoyed it and she asks him once more if he loves her.

He says no.

He says that love doesn't come _close_ to how deeply he cares for her.

She invites him in and she locks her door.

!

O.O Wow, I didn't think I'd actually get that descriptive with a make-out scene (though I suppose I've been even more descriptive than that before) but I think this turned out nicely! I've always loved reading the stories like this, especially the Kazuha and Heiji ones. They always have a certain _feeling_ to them that makes it all the more dramatic to me. I hope this one had the same effect on you! ^_^ I'm surprised how many of you non-ConanxAyumi fans are coming and saying my stories are good! O_O I… I couldn't be more honored! :D I've never really gotten compliments from people who read a story I wrote and didn't support that same couple! I mean, seriously! Thank you guys! (Feels full of self for writing this, though, since it's about my writing. T.T) Thank you all so very much! I really hope you guys enjoyed this! Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	12. Waiting and Watching

Okay, this is a tiny note to Team Ayumi. Try going on to and making an account there. After that's done, write down the address you went on along with its password and stick it on your desk (Or whatever the computer is sitting on), from there, you can create you fanfiction account. I wouldn't try using the same username and password as you attempted to use this time, though. After that, write down your new username and password on the same sheet of paper as the Gmail account (or if there isn't any room left, then write them down on a separate sheet of paper and read what it says to you after you've signed up. If it says it's going to email you a notification of your signing up to your email, then go back and check it. I think you'll be able to get on from here.

But just because I can't just make this little chapter an author's note because it's to somebody specifically who doesn't have an account, I suppose I have to allow you 16 Ways fans (though very few of you, I love you all! (:) to indulge yourselves in some type of AyumixConan reading! Lol (You know I'm' joking, I'm not that full of myself! xD) So, here's a Valentine's Day Fic! Enjoy!

_**LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY DOVEY! ;P**_

**Love 12: Waiting and Watching**

She hated them, Ayumi concluded. She hated all of the girls in the class. Well, except for Ai-chan. Ai-chan was her friend!

_Besides_, she thought as she turned to see what her dear friend was doing, Ai-chan was a very happy camper with Mitsuhiko.

As if on cue, Mitsuhiko turned around in his seat and asked Haibara something. Looking up, Haibara let a smile go and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. The two exchanged chocolates.

Ayumi smiled at them…but she could feel it. She could feel that bad feeling Mommy called jealousy. She knew it could be worse, though. She turned to look at Conan. She was right. He was surrounded by the rest of the girls of the class. They were telling him how cute he was and complementing his smarts. Most set a heart of chocolates on his desk and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek afterwards. By the time they all had set the chocolates down, 2/3 of the girls had kissed Conan. He seemed to be enjoying it.

This, Ayumi knew, made the feeling in her stomach even deeper, to the point where it was hurting her. Her sight was clouded with some type of green mist formed from her body.

"Oh, Conan-kun, you've got a real way with words!"

Why couldn't she be that outgoing?

"Oh, Conan-kun, your figure is so amazing I just want to hold on and never let go!"

Why couldn't she be that mature? Why couldn't she do that?

"Oh, Conan-kun, you've got the softest skin!"

Ayumi stood up abruptly and asked the teacher to go the restroom.

When she came back a while later, the girls were still all tucked tightly around Conan, their arms around his neck and his waist, and his chest, and…and-!

She wouldn't think about it anymore.

She looked at the pile of heart-shaped boxes on Conan's desk, the colorful and unique wrappings clad in others.

Then she took a look at her desk, opening it up only the slightest. Inside was a pink, white, and red striped Tupperware container which held oval-shaped chocolates. She had been learning to make chocolates all week. She stifled a giggle. She was terrible at first, HORRID even, but she was able to get better over the seven days with professional help. (They had been somebody her mom hired.)

Looking back over at the others, she sighed and closed the desk. She'd have to wait to give them to him.

And she did, she waited until the end of their first class. There he was, all alone, talking to the normal simplicity that was their tiny clip of friends. Overjoyed by this, she shuffled her foot into the unmoving tile a little. She was going to give him her chocolates! Taking a deep breath, she called out to him.

"Conan-kun!"

Oh, how she wished that was _her _voice. A group of three girls who he didn't have classes with came up to him, their first-grader laughter echoing in his ears. "Conan-kun, will you accept these chocolates, please?" Their requests were not unheard and he accepted the chocolates, politely however, turning down their requests to go on a 'play-date' to Tropical Land.

Ayumi would have to wait a while longer.

And she did, she waited until after they were half-way through the day.

"Conan-kun!"

Sigh… here we go again. A blonde girl with bouncing curls gave Conan chocolates and asked him out. He was about to say no when her face darkened and showed death. He instantly said he was just busy.

Ayumi would have to wait just a tad bit longer.

And she did, she waited until the end of the day. That's when she finally was going to give him the chocolates! "Conan-kun!" The voice was cheery and sweet, it was her own that she was beginning to long to hear from herself. The detective turned around. "Ayumi-chan! Hello! How are you?"

Ayumi stood there in front of him, bright smile wide and luxurious. "Conan-kun!"

"Where have you been all day? I haven't seen you!"

She inwardly gulped back her happy screech. He noticed she was gone! "Conan-kun I just wanted to-!"

"Conan-kun!" This was a different voice, one that both Ayumi and Conan knew.

One that Ayumi's stomach dropped at the sound of and one that Conan was happily dazed at the sound of.

"Conan-kun! It's time to go home!"

It was Ran's.

"Sorry, Ayumi-chan. This'll have to wait. Coming Nee-chan!"

The world was Ran's.

He ran up to the teenager, her leaning down to hug him tightly. He sighed with happiness and hugged back, his tiny arms around her waist- which was as far as he could reach at their angle. She said something when she pulled away; it was something that made him laugh. It was something that made him repeat her words, and something that made him smile. It was "I've missed you."

And as Ayumi the two walked away, hand-in-hand, the single thought occurred to her.

He was Ran's.

It had taken her a long cell call to her mother, thinking, remembering, and walking for 15 minutes, but she had reached the place she wished to. The park… There, she sat in a bench, setting the chocolates down beside her.

She cried.

She cried for the lost time of waiting.

She cried for the meaningless hoping.

She cried for her first love.

She cried for her future heartbreaks.

She cried for herself.

Then, she was done. She got up, grabbing the chocolates, and went home.

She went home and sat on her bed.

She listened for the phone.

Sure enough, Genta called up to ask where she had been, if she was okay, and to wish her a happy Valentine's Day.

Through her tears, she said she was concentrating on work, that she was okay, and that she wished him a happy day as well.

She hung up the phone. Ten seconds later, Mitsuhiko called. She had to repeat the process.

She hung up the phone. Five seconds later, Haibara called. She asked how her day had been, if she had a good Valentine's so far, and spoke of her and Mitsuhiko.

She, through a face filled with dry tears, said her day was sunny, that she had an okay Valentine's Day, and said she was happy for her friend.

Then Haibara asked if she'd given Conan the chocolate.

Ayumi quickly said no and hung up.

An hour later, the phone rang again. Knowing it would be Haibara, she answered it.

"Open your door."

Smiling, Ayumi knew what it would be. She opened the door to see a single person standing there, body nearly covered by the barrage of sweets they were carrying. Ayumi gasped, surprised by how desperate Ai must have been to cheer her up this time. (The two of them did this every year on Valentine's; it was kind of a tradition for the past three years.) "Ai-chan, you didn't have to bring all of that! The usual ice-cream and comedy movies are just fine! Did you and Mitsuhiko have a fight?"

"So she was right, you _did _think I was her."

The person set the treats down and turned around to face her.

"I've done this to you every year?"

Ayumi gulped and took a step back, clutching a hand to her chest and looking away. Conan reached into the large pile and picked something out, hesitating before pulling it from the huge pile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ayumi."

There in his hand laid a small, circle-shaped chocolate, protected in a Tupperware container that was un-wrapped. Gasping, Ayumi looked up at him, questioning his motives. He held a placid blush on his cheeks. "I don't want you to cry anymore." Grabbing her hand, he placed it over his that held the container.

And they exchanged chocolates, and hugs, and kisses, and loving stares as the night went on.

_**LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY DOVEY! ;P**_

Yeah, I got the idea for the story as I wrote. Lol So... I'm actually planning on doing what Ayumi did in this fic this Valentine's! ;) Wish me luck (I fear I may not be the best cook, or that he might not like me enough, KNOCK ON WOOD! GAH! 0o0 T.T) Well, Team Ayumi, good luck making your account! ^_^


	13. Change and Tears

**Love 13: Change and Tears**

(_Note to readers: This is inspired by the song "Why Don't You Call Me Yet" by Rin Kagamine. It touched me when I read the English lyrics and I felt a pull to write this.)_

Drip…drop…drip…drop.

The salt fell from her eyes, and it fell, and it fell.

She couldn't stop it.

It's been weeks, maybe even months since that night.

It was the night that it all went wrong…

She cried and she cried, and no matter how tightly she shut her eyes, the tears still came and dropped down onto her pink phone. The bed supported her back, but to her dismay it didn't keep her heart from dropping down even deeper into the pit than it already was.

She called his name into the limited light of her bedroom, begging- pleading for her phone to vibrate in the palm of her hand.

But it never did…

It never vibrated, it never rang. She couldn't tell you the last time she'd heard the special ringtone she'd set for him. He would never answer whenever she called.

Just this thought made her choke on her own tears.

She'd let it slip.

They'd been together for only nine days and she let her true feelings for him slip.

"_I love you"_, she learned, could make a human being feel on top of the world or crushed below it. Those three words could complete a human being or shatter the pieces already there so the 'foolish' human being had to search for them all over again.

It had been obvious the second she said it which one it would be for her.

She couldn't help it. The way he was looking at her made her feel so…so-

…It made her feel like he loved her too.

But he didn't.

Heck, he looked so shocked to hear that, that it killed her to even consider the fact he might not LIKE her.

Why, then? Why did he throw his arms out in front of her and ONLY her when they hear a bloody scream?

Why did he kiss so gently when he held her?

The answer she couldn't bear, she knew it. He was thinking about somebody else. All this time he was thinking about another girl's lips, another girl's voice, another girl's touch.

And all she could do was make his imagination a good one.

She continued to stare down at the phone as the clock ticked, her heart beating along with it, a fresh tear shedding every second. Giving up, she let go of it, the window breaking in the process. She didn't care that she'd never see that phone again. She didn't care if she'd have to pay for the shattered window!

Then she took one look at the broken glass, the hole gapping in the middle.

Rain fell outside, the occasional drop hitting her bedroom floor.

The window slowly started to turn red in her mind's eyes, forming into a different shape.

When it finished forming, she realized exactly how _shattered_ she truly was. She was demolished. She was destroyed. She couldn't feel anything save for the uncomfortable tightening in her chest, a pain she never thought he would cause her.

But she was wrong.

She was wrong about everything.

She was wrong to be comfortable with her undeveloped (yet still curvy) figure.

She was wrong to have confidence in her grammar and deduction skills.

She was wrong to not wear make-up everyday like most women do.

She was wrong to trust her heart in his hands.

He had realized, she thought, that she was jealous but understanding, loud but modest, happy but easily depressed.

But now he had thrown her into a spiraling pit of never-ending jealousy, fear, insecurity, sadness, and nostalgia. Not that he would care, though. What a funny thing to think at a time like this!

Twisting around at a sudden speed, she threw her head and arms over her bed, staining the sheets with her tears.

"It won't stop!" She moaned, choking once more in the process. "It won't stop!" Her voice was shaking, and she hated it, _hated _it. Why did she feel like this?

Because she loved him and she was dumb enough to let it slip, THAT'S why.

Then her weeping was no longer the only sound in the room, and the rain seemed to quiet down. (Funny, had it been getting that loud to her?) First she ignored it, not content with her already-distasteful-face being seen red with streaming tears.

But then it got louder, more urgent.

She stood up, fixing her hair and face as she walked to the door.

Taking the handle, she slowly slid open the door.

She gasped, face turning possibly even redder than it already was.

But not because she was embarrassed or happy.

Because somebody had the guts to ding dong ditch her at a time like this!

_I wanna see you…_

_Don't you wanna see me?_

_I've been waiting for your call…_

No…it couldn't be. Twisting around, she ran over to her bedside, her home-phone ringing towards her. It was calling her.

Her hand gently slid up and down the hard material before she picked it up.

"Moshi moshi?" Her voice came unsurely.

_Because I'm afraid_

_That you'll say…_

Silence.

That was all she got from the other end of the phone.

_Who are you?_

"Turn around." A voice finally came from the speakers.

The heart that had sunk so deeply into the pit of her stomach jumped into its original home, pounding against her chest consistently at the familiar voice.

_I can't make the call to you…_

There, standing at the door that she neglected to close over her hasty retreat to her home-phone, was the man she'd been crying over.

His cellphone still pressed to his ear, he held that know-it-all grin that somehow attached itself to his face. Then he made a movement with his other hand, signaling for her to hold the phone to her ear. She silently and cautiously did so.

And when she did, she realized she'd been _right_ this entire time.

"I love you."


	14. Sunsets and Doubts

**Love 14: Sunsets and Doubts**

"_Ayumi-chan…"_

_That was the single word said, the single name spoken between two individuals. A beautiful sunset backed them and shadowed the man's face, bewildering to Ayumi- yet it strangely satisfied her thirst for mystery. Who was this strange man- no, boy, a boy about her age- speaking to her? How did he know her name?_

_And why, why, WHY in the world did she have a longing to hear her name fall off of his lips again?_

_She stepped closer, nothing said, still. The wind blew her peach yellow sundress out to the side, directed towards the sweet sunset that watched over them. Not contented with just the dress, it dragged the garments that clung to her head away, the circular object flying._

_She could see the light color under the sun…it looked so soft._

_When it reached out and pulled her in, it __**felt**__ so soft._

_Then a new softness, a process of comfort, introduced itself. The pink gentleness that touched her lips locked her in Pandora's box._

_Oh, how she realized how deeply she fell in love with the box's touch. It wrapped her in warmth, oh how it felt __**so **__**warm**__…_

_The box seemed to love her touch, too. As she fell deeper into it, it fell deeper into her. It loved her; oh it wanted her closer, it wanted more. The slippery substance in her mouth proved as much. She felt a surge of adrenaline run through her bloodstream as it felt her; almost as through it was making sure she was there._

_Pulling it closer, she assured it she would never leave._

_This boy, she loved him, she concluded._

_The warmth didn't leave, but it separated from her warmth at last, hot breath leaving water vapor on her neck. She wished for that hot vapor to be pressed closer to her once more- but knew it was time to pull back._

_Finally stepping out into the light, the box…the boy…was revealed as none other than Conan Edogawa._

"_Conan…"_

_She called his name once during the sunset, and she lost count of how many times she whispered it in his ear as he whispered her name in her's throughout the night._

"O-Ow…" Opening her eyes just the tiniest bit, Ayumi allowed the sunlight in to her pupils.

It reached out just as the boy did and pulled her into a box, but this was a different box. It was a very diverse thing, and that was what made her sigh.

The happiness she felt in Pandora's Box was no longer there, it instead was clouded with the depression of realization that the warmth she had felt was but a mere dream.

Not to quote anybody or anything, but it was cold. It was oh, so, very cold.

The fiery pit in her stomach she felt as he brushed up against her was no longer there, and it was a terrible feeling.

"It was only a dream then…" She spoke, the words settling in. Why, foolish girl! She thought. Why wouldn't it have been? Conan would never EVER lay a hand on YOU! The mere voice in her head made her feel sick, and the cold got even worse.

Or- was she really, honest, truly to gosh… cold?

She thought about it and- why, she was!

But WHY was she cold?

Pulling the covers up, the usually common color of bare skin stared back at her, showing things she'd seen mature over her entire life, this worried her.

Why in the WORLD was she like this? She NEVER slept like this! What if somebody were to break in? There's no TELLING what mental, physical, psychological, and social stress she'd have to endure!

Then she felt herself fall into Pandora's Box again, the feeling she had in the delusion came to her heart once more, and she listened to its call to turn around. The graceful sleep of a beautiful bird entangled itself around her, and it forced her to sing like it was in her nature instead of it's! What was this? It was the love she felt for the blue eyes that now stared up at her, awakening from slumber.

Its peaceful smile mollified her as it kissed her bare shoulder, smooth hands causing her to shiver.

He confirmed it was a dream, but it was a dream that merely exaggerated the truth.

He had grabbed her and kissed her.

He had started doing things.

He brought her home.

Now that she looked around, this _wasn't _her room, was it?

He whispered her name in her ear once more, and the two decided to stay there for just a little longer as the sun beat down on them.


	15. Alcohol and Marriage

**Love 15: Alcohol and Marriage**

There were some things in this world Ayumi Yoshida, age 24, didn't like to admit.

One of them was the fact that she was drunk.

Another is that everybody's faces were blurred.

And last but not least, the biggest of them all…

She'd been going out with Conan for 10 years, they got into a fight over Ran, and she was walking back to a hotel room with some random guy she met at the party.

Worst part?

She couldn't even tell if it was going to be worth it in the morning…

The guy unlocked the door, smoothly, opening and using his other hand to apply pressure to her back, helping her through the door. She cursed silently under her breath as she felt herself stumble, catching herself on the bed.

The bed….

Dear god, was she _really _this drunk?

The man, face still blurred, walked over to the cabinet, pulling out some vodka and cranberry juice. "Please, have a seat." Reluctant in her mind- ell, what was LEFT of her mind, she sat down on the silk-covered bed, hands running along the fabric. Hmmm, a pretty fancy hotel… well, at least it wasn't some money-less idiot that couldn't pay for child support should they have to worry about it.

The man poured the liquor, handing the glass to her. She took the glass, giving him a silent nod as a thank you, before chugging it all down, wiping her mouth of the residue left upon her lips.

"So… why is it that you came back with me?"

Huh? But…

"Why are you talking? Aren't we going to… you know?" She held out the 'you know' a little longer than her sober self would have liked.

Too bad her sober self was FAR gone, burning itself before running off a cliff, spikes and a storming sea under it.

The man laughed, and she couldn't tell whether it was nervous, hearted, or just plain scared. "Well, yes… but I want you to tell me why you're here first…" Ayumi sighed. She really didn't feel like telling the story and she _really _didn't feel like talking to _this _guy about it?

"Can't you just… take your pants off and get this over with? There's not even a guarantee what I say is going to be coherent."

"Well… you're using words like coherent even when drunk out of your mind…"

Well….. D^^N! He was right!

She sighed. "I… uhh…. Guess I'll start on the story then." By then the man was sitting right beside her, arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Just as Conan's had been just a while ago…

But of course, that didn't matter now… all that mattered was _her, the supposedly drunk guy __next__ to her, _and _the story_…

"_Neh, Conan-kun? Are you alright?"_

_Ayumi sat there on the bed, sexy nightgown clinging to her now developed curves. Conan looked at her, his eyes clouded over with some type of sorrow, before turning away, running a hand through his hair. "Y… yeah… I'm just fine. I just… need some alone time."_

_Ayumi frowned._

_Alone time? But… they'd been planning this night for WEEKS!_

_This was the night they were going to go all the way for the first time… and she had been really excited about it. It was even to the point where she and Ai went out lingerie shopping! She bought Trojan condoms and melted caramel and whipped cream and strawberries…_

_But it looked like that was going to have to wait._

_Reaching up, smiling softly, she pulled Conan down by his shoulders, forcing him to sit on the bed. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up against his back- hopefully getting him into the mood._

_He continued the move the hand through his hair, seemingly slightly annoyed that she wasn't answering his wish of alone time._

"_Conan-kun… what's wrong?" She pushed for his answer, determined to know what it was that was RUINING their night together._

"…_Nothing." She sighed. WHY must he be so stubborn? She smiled. "Well if you won't tell me what it is… let me at LEAST try and get your mind off of it…"_

_Slowly, her hands reached down, gingerly unbuttoning his pants. Reaching inside, she attempted the grab what she could before his hand grabbed hers, pulling it out. "Ayumi-chan, no." she sighed. Okay… he wasn't in the mood __at all._

_Rather curious at his actions, she came up and sat beside him. "Please… tell me what's wrong." He growled, turning his head away. "It's nothing."_

_She narrowed her eyes. "So are you saying you just don't want to sleep with me…?_

_No answer._

"…_Conan-kun?"_

_He remained silent, head turned away. Her jaw dropped._

_Oh my god… he just didn't want to have sex with her. "Okay.. why the H^^L not? What? Is there something WRONG With me? Do I smell weird? I could take a shower really quick! Are you not ready?"_

"_No… I'm ready."_

"_Then why won't you sleep with me?"_

_He sighed. "Ayumi, there isn't anything wrong with you."_

"_Then WHY won't you sleep with me? We've been planning this for a WHILE now, Conan! And I was really excited-"_

"_Ran's getting married."_

…_. A pause._

"_So?"_

_Conan stood up. "So… SO? AYUMI! I LOVE HER! SHE'S MY NEECHAN AND I DON'T WANT HER MARRYING THAT GUY!"_

_Ayumi growled, ready to fight back. She didn't just take it from him anymore._

"_And I'm your GIRLFRIEND! You said you loved me so-"_

"_BUT THAT'S THE POINT! I LOVE RAN MORE!"_

…_.. Silence._

_Pure, and utter, silence…._

_Saying nothing more, Ayumi went over to their closet, picking out some clothes and storming into the bathroom like a strike of lightning. Conan dropped to the bed, head in hands as the sounds of the door clicking could be heard. He looked up as Ayumi emerged from the bathroom, a tight mini-skirt clutching her hips, butt, and thighs as the shirt she wore was nothing but see-through material over a bikini top. Her shoes were 5-inch heels and as she walked by him, he perked up. "E… eh..? Ayumi-chan? Where are you-"_

"_What does it matter? Not like I'm getting MARRIED!" With that, she slammed the door._

It had all gone downhill from there. She went out to a bar; a couple of friends she JUST met took her back to a club, where she partied like no tomorrow.

But no matter how much she drank, no matter how hard she partied and no matter how many guys she grinded against… she felt empty, hurt.

And she knew _exactly _why.

This man, this strange _strange _man who sat there, his arms slung around her shoulder, listening to her story just sat there… nothing being said.

"You know… I didn't mean it."

The man climbed on top of her, laying her down against the bed as he slowly unbuttoned her shirt.

Ayumi didn't fight it. She just laid there as her skirt hit the floor, her underwear following soon after.

And as she wrapped her arms around this stranger's neck, her last thought pushed her forward.

"_I love Ran, MORE…"_

**LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY DOVEY! ;P**

Ayumi woke up to the sun hitting her face delicately. _Ow…. What…. happened?_

Thoughts of the night came flooding back to her.

The fight she and Conan had, causing her to storm off and get drunk, the man that brought her back to this hotel room, and the night they spent together.

"_You know… I didn't mean it."_

She was a smart woman, she knew that much… but did he really mean that? Was he really just trying to get HER to bring the action first? (If he said that maybe he thought that she'd keep fighting and eventually force herself on him…) She sighed, pulling up the covers.

Yep.

She bit her lip, pulling them up to her neck, reality hitting her. _Conan-kun… I… just cheated on you I…._

The tears rolled down her cheeks as she silently wept, covers pulled over her nose. _You may be in love with Ran but… you were still loyal… you didn't go around sleeping with girls and now I…_

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to see if this man was at least handsome- he'd NEVER be worth betraying the man she loved, though.

Her eyes scanned over his build. He had a similar one to Conan-kun… his may have been a bit better, though, as she imagined.

His hair was dark and soft- she remembered running her fingers through it.

Then came his face and his voice. She vaguely remembered both. The voice she knew by heart, but the face… the face was so… blurry, and every time she tried to picture him she'd get-

…Oh….OH!

He opened his eyes, turning around to face her. She felt herself gasp and cover her mouth, eyes wide.

Conan smiled up at her, reaching up and running a hand through her hair. "Good morning… Ayumi."

**LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY LoVeY DOVEY! ;P**

So… were you expecting that? XD

I tried to hold it off from releasing that it was Conan she spent the night with for as long as I could. I hope it wasn't too obvious!

I am SO sorry I haven't updated in such a long time but I just transferred computers and now the entire thing is messed up! D:

So yes, the new chapter of AY: DOTS will be up soon. I hope you guys enjoyed this! :D

Please leave a review!


	16. Turning and Leaving

**Love 16: Turning and Leaving**

You've always turned away from me...

Why?

**Is it because you like me?**

_A beautiful shine was coming down that day, grazing the small and huge objects they were there to see. The path they walked on close to clear of the light, blocked by the shade of the trees. She turned to look at him as he walked, the light hitting his face in a perfect, untamable way that begged her to sit back and relax. Not even daring to think of holding back the urge, she leaned over and gently placed a kiss on his cheek, fingers sliding through his. He was shocked, and pulled his free hand away to grab his cheek, a dark blush covering his cheeks. She smiled and giggled like the child she was, and she was so unexplainably blissful because of his reaction. But that blissfulness came to an end after two or three steps as he wiped his cuff against his skin roughly. She looked at him in question, but he looked away, letting go of her hand._

You've never said you didn't like it!

But you've never said you DID either, I suppose...

**Is it because you wouldn't be able to stand my crying face?**

_Red and blue revolved around one another, sirens echoing in the air. The bystanders watched as a woman was carried, fighting tooth and nail, away from her child. The girl stood there, tears running down her face. Why did it have to be her mother, of all things? "This isn't what I wanted…" She said through her cloudy tears. "When I became a detective this was never what I wanted!" A comforting hand lay on her shoulder. She turned around to see Inspector Megurie with a tired and regretful look drawn upon his features. She couldn't tell if that was his condolences towards her, or the simple look of a detective that's seen it all. Either way, she couldn't latch onto him. She would not allow it of herself. But then two more hands came about her shoulders, turning her around. One was tall and skinny with cute little freckles on his cheeks, and one was big, round one with a bald spot on the side of his head. They gave her a hug and she let herself return theirs. Then she saw them approaching. Her strawberry-blonde friend came to the side and patted her on the back, looking sorrowfully at the police cars. "I don't know why this has happened…" she spoke in her soft voice. "You have done nothing to deserve this." _

_She nodded and gulped, allowing her arms to come around her. She returned the hug once more. Pulling away, her eyes then landed on him, and her knees felt weak. She stumbled over to him, tear stains on her cheeks, hair messed up, and her cheeks red as fire. He stared at her. He stared at her with a sorry look on his face. He would never say it was his fault, for her mother was the one who committed the crime, but he would say he felt bad about it being him to crack the case. It could have been somebody else, but it had to be __him__. She shook her head before falling into him, clutching his shirt ever-so-tightly. She cried his name, silently begging for affection at her time of need. She didn't need the sympathy from everyone else; all that mattered was his hand on her cheek and his lips placing soft kisses on her face, accompanied by his voice whispering to her saying that things were going to be okay. But he was silent, and his arms stayed in place at his sides. She said his name again, but he stayed quiet. When she felt a hand on her shoulder she felt the tiniest bit comforted, but then she realized his hands were still at his sides, and his head was turned to the side._

You've never given me affection.

You've never showed friendly or romantic concern.

**Is it because you're too shy?**

_She stared up at the detective with wide, big, blue eyes._

_She spoke his name._

_He simply smiled down at her and crouched down on one knee. "How are you doing?" She smiled at him and said "I'm fine!" Her friends stood behind her, watching the interaction. "Got anything to pass you by?" She laughed and grabbed onto his arm, the boy she loved so dearly. She said "Oh yes! My boyfriend keeps me going like a train!" The boy simply looked at her with a look of what she thought was embarrassment. "Is that so?" "OI!" He screamed, wailing his arm in her clutches. He spoke her name in irritation, eyes slanted in a livid way. She didn't understand why as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. Expecting that, he pulled away, growing annoyance on his features. She was hurt, but being used to it she didn't show it. Although as the detective walked away, she had to wonder why he reacted the way he did. She looked at him to ask and he was already looking away from her, walking in the previous direction._

No, it's not because you like me.

Nor is it because you can't stand to see me cry.

And it's not because you're shy.

_A gentle hand scrunched her hair, smiling at her. "Is this goodbye?" She reached her arms out to him, hands begging to feel his warmth once more. He smiled and gave her a hug. It wasn't the one she expected, though. It was a different kind of hug. It, for some reason, made her feel so sad… why? _

_It was a goodbye hug, an "I'll see you around" kind of hug that said she- as a matter of fact- was ONLY going to SEE him around. She called his name out, fresh tears about to start in her eyes, but she held them back. It became increasingly harder as he let go of her, and she tried to look into his eyes. But he didn't look at her eyes. He looked away. He turned away._

_And he turned into her arms- HER arms. The woman's…_

_His arm circled around her waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling and intertwining her fingers with his. Unlike he did to her, he openly wrapped his fingers in and kissed the woman's hand gently. _

_**It's because you love her, and you've never loved **__**me**__**.**_

Well let me make something clear, you broke my heart twenty times over, and I am a woman now.

For a second, I miss your hands.

For a minute, I miss your lips.

For an hour, I miss your arms.

But most of the time, I realize I never had any of that in the first place, and I miss _you_.

And still I write this to warn you, the next time we meet-

You will gaze into my eyes…

_21-year-old Ayumi Yoshida twirled a strawberry-dackery (sp?) in her hands, talking to some friends that she hanged out with in her college. Her dress was short, about mid-thigh, and she had a shawl over her shoulders. Her heels were tiny and open-toed. Her hair was long and curled, down to her now-matured chest. She chatted about the sports and the school events. Then came the subject of love. She sighed. It was something her study group brought up ALL THE TIME. She would always give them the same answer. "I'm not into anyone. No, really! I'm not into anyone!" _

_Then she felt eyes staring upon her back, her sixth sense sparking in the back of her mind. Turning around, she came face-to-face with big, blue eyes._

_She recognized them, these eyes. They were watching her softly- silently. They asked her for attention, permission to come over and talk to her. Ayumi felt her heart break in two, pieces hit the floor._

You will want to see me...

You will want to hold my hands and ask me how I've been…

_Then she pieced it back together. _

_Not glaring, not hesitating, she gave a gentle smile, shook her head, and faced back to her friends as another boy approached her._

…_**I will be the one to turn away.**_


End file.
